A higher number of people in Cornwall are requiring help with drink and drug problems with alcoholics drinking the equivalent of three bottles of wine a day.

Figures show that more than 100,000 adults (23-25%) in Cornwall drink "above safe" alcohol levels with 75,000 (17%) considered to be at "increasing risk", 26,700 (7%) at "higher risk" and 4,900 (1.1%) adults are estimated to be "alcohol dependent". It is also reported that 84,000 (19%) are considered to be "binge drinkers".

Cornwall is said to have a higher level of high-risk drinkers than the national rate and a higher proportion of people who enter treatment who drink more than 1,000 units per month or 33 units per day, the equivalent to three bottles of wine or 11 pints of strong lager every day.

A woman vomits in the street after leaving a pub (file picture) (Image: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Drug use is also widespread and there are estimated to be 2,382 opiate and/or crack users in Cornwall who create a potential cost to society and the economy of £106million. The majority of that cost, 86%, is related to crime.

Stats show that a typical person dependent on drugs spends around £1,400 feeding their habit.

And it has been revealed that more people now die from a drug related death in Cornwall than road traffic accidents with 5.3 deaths per 100,000 population. Latest figures put Cornwall in the top third of areas nationally with the highest rates of drug related deaths. There were 29 drug-related deaths in 2016.

Read More

To tackle the number of drug deaths naloxone, which reverses the effects of overdose, is being provided to users, carers, peers and supported accommodation providers. Training is also being given in basic life support and reviews are carried out after each drug related death to see what can be learned from them.

However, despite the high number of people using drugs in Cornwall there are just 1,600 treatment places available.

Locally it is said that drug markets and use are changing, with wider availability of higher purity heroin, crack cocaine and methamphetamine. There are signs that crack use is "escalating quickly".

A report to councillors states: "There have been local cases of vulnerable people being targeted by organised crime groups to use them and their home to sell illicit drugs.

Read More

In total 700 people in drug or alcohol treatment are living with children. Those households are recorded to have 1,300 children.

Parental alcohol or drug problems feature in a quarter of all child protection cases in Cornwall with alcohol misuse involved in 37% of serious case reviews and drug misuse in 38%.

In Cornwall there were 12,500 alcohol-related hospital admissions last year. To tackle this a number of initiatives have been launched including an alcohol liaison team across departments, a hospital outreach team, identifying frequent attenders and offering pathways to detox and treatment.

Funding of £68,000 has also been provided from the Communities Fund for hospital outreach workers.

More people are drinking too much in Cornwall, figures show (Image: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Alcohol is also the most prevalent risk factor among adult offenders - 56% of adult offenders have an alcohol problem which is linked to risk of serious harm and reoffending.

Through the Safer Cornwall Plan Cornwall Council has indicated that it plans to lead on the delivery of an updated Alcohol Strategy for Cornwall which will support people, services and communities to reduce the risk and impact of alcohol related harm.

Targets will include keeping alcohol related crime low; stabilising or reducing the number of alcohol related hospital admissions; engaging problem drinkers with effective treatment and commissioning services which are effective in helping problem drinkers to complete treatment successfully.

Read More

Cornwall Council has indicated that the number of people entering drug and alcohol treatment in Cornwall is on the rise, with recent figures showing 4% more alcohol users in treatment compared with 2014/15. Nationally figures have dropped 5%. There were also 21% more non-opiate and alcohol users in treatment while nationally figures have remained static.

The report states: "Numbers entering drug and alcohol treatment are on an upward trajectory and above contracted capacity for the service."

Prevention in early years has been marked as an area for improvement

To try to improve the situation a multi-agency partnership approach is being taken bringing together those who work in health, social care, the police, courts, housing, children's services and benefit services.

In 2016/17 a total of 1,348 problem drinkers were helped, 1,310 opiate users were helped and 704 non-opiate users were helpd.

There are currently 100 places available for young people to get structured treatment and 2,600 places in adults structured treatment.

The areas for improvement have been identified as prevention in early years; successful completion for non-opiate users and reducing drug-related deaths.

Cornwall Council, in its Safer Cornwall Plan, states that it will lead on the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Drug Strategy - Reducing Harm, Promoting Recovery.

Targets include ensuring problem drug users are effectively engaged in specialist treatment; commissioned services help users to complete treatment successfully and that drug-related deaths are reduced by at least 50%.